Can You Avoid One of the World’s Most Popular Prescription Drugs?

Wow, it’s been awhile since you have received an update from me. I have lots of excuses but you are probably not interested in listening to me whine, after all God has given me the same number of hours each day and week as He gives everyone else so I really don’t have an excuse for being lazy about writing.

Recently my husband had some tests on his heart because of an increase in chest pain. Ever since his open heart surgery in 2006, he has talked about how his heart has felt different. His doctor would listen to his heart and take other vitals and tell us it was normal. Of course, after the surgery we found out that any time they do heart surgery, they cut the membrane that contains the heart. That membrane is left open just in case there is any swelling after the surgery. Thus anyone who has had open heart surgery is going to be more aware of feeling their heart. My husband has said to me many times since his heart surgery that he wishes he had his original heart back and I don’t blame him.

As a result of the recent tests we did learn that at some time he has had at least one heart attack, maybe more, and that a portion of his heart is now dead. That has been very difficult for us to wrap our brains around especially since we eat very healthy and exercise on a regular basis. The doctor’s first response was to put him back on one of the world’s most popular prescription drugs.

Can You Avoid One of The World’s Most Popular Prescription Drugs?

One of the world’s most popular prescription drugs is in the class of statins. Statin drugs are typically prescribed to lower cholesterol, particularly LDL (low-density lipoprotein), the so called bad stuff, and are taken by many people especially over the age of 45. You may know them by these names: Crestor, Lipitor, Mevacor, Pravachol, Zocor, or there may be other names not familiar to me.

First, let’s talk about why these medications may be prescribed. High cholesterol numbers, especially the LDL are one of the many indicators of heart disease. Most generally, the medication will be prescribed as a preventative but is routine if a person has been diagnosed as having any form of heart problems. For example, when my husband, Larry, came out of open heart surgery 6 ½ years ago he was automatically put on Lipitor. I questioned the nurse about it when she was giving him his meds. Her answer was that it is routine after heart surgery. The doctor told me the same thing. I was not happy about it but accepted their explanation for the time being.

There are numerous side effects to statins, one being the possibility of muscle weakness and a breakdown of muscle fibers. This one side effect alone can affect the heart muscle (yes, the heart is a muscle) causing a decrease of heart function. A study was done in 2009 showing this possibility. Another concerning side effect is an increase in the risk of diabetes. Diabetes actually puts you at a high risk for heart disease. These two side effects alone are of concern to me.

What about cholesterol? Yes, high cholesterol numbers can be a concern but the major concern is the ratio between LDL and HDL (high-density lipoprotein, what is called the good stuff.) According to my husband’s cardiologist LDL should be no higher than 2 to 2 ½ times HDL. For example, if your HDL is 50, a healthy LDL would be between 100 and 125. HDL should be a minimum of 40.

Cholesterol does have a function in your body, even the LDL so it is important to keep it in balance and not too low. Your body actually produces cholesterol if you are too low. Cholesterol is necessary for proper brain function and if it is too low you are at increased risk of cancer, depression, hormone imbalance, memory loss, Parkinson’s, and other neurological diseases.

Your body needs cholesterol in order to produce healthy cell membranes, vitamin D, and acids that actually help digest fat. Did you know that you are more prone to have issues with your heart if your gallbladder has been removed? The gallbladder bile helps the body break down fats properly. Without the gallbladder bad fats are more likely to accumulate in the arteries and cause blockage.. we were unaware of this when my husband had his gallbladder removed when he was around 45 years old.

What are some things you can do to have healthy cholesterol that actually functions to maintain good health?

Reduce consumption of grain products especially those that are processed.

Eat at least ½ of your daily diet raw in the whole food state. Many people juice as a means of consuming more fruit and vegetables raw but the juicing process brings out the sugar content which gives an unhealthy amount of fructose. Be very care about how much you juice. Also cooking can bring out the sugars in many fruits and vegetables.

Eliminate all soda and soft drinks, even diet drinks (diet drinks are very unhealthy).

Include omega 3 fats daily. Good foods sources are fish, especially salmon, and nuts such as walnuts. This may require you to use a quality daily supplement.

Eat garlic on a regular basis or use a quality garlic/allium supplement.

Exercise daily. Exercise increases circulation and blood flow.

Get approximately 8 hours of quality sleep every night.

Avoid smoking.

Avoid excessive alcohol consumption.

An Excellent Way to Assure Adequate Intake of Omega 3

More and more research is being done showing that inflammation has more to do with risk of heart disease than cholesterol. As has been the case many times GNLD (Neo-Life) has been at the forefront of this research. Our Omega III Salmon Oil Plus has been used in some of the research and has shown the powerful healing potential of this product and the nutrients it contains.

Lift your ribs – this helps you keep shoulders back and avoid slumping. Standing tall with the ribs lifted instantly helps flatten the tummy. The next time you catch yourself slumping your shoulders, notice how the tummy seems bigger.

Fear of falling is very common in the elderly. We experienced this with my mother-in-law as she aged. She was so afraid of falling that she watched her feet as she walked which caused her to feel even more unbalanced as well as it caused her to become very slumped. Eventually after several falls she did fall and break her hip which led to what is now a 4 ½ year stay in a nursing home as she never was able to walk again.

We did not know about Lavender and some of its benefits at that time.

A recent study was conducted in Japan where they exposed a group of elderly people to lavender aroma. Here are some of the results:

The lavender group had higher concentration levels during the drowsy time in the afternoon.

There were fewer falls in the lavender group.

Lavender is known to be calming and sedating yet it can also act as a stimulant. This seems confusing unless you realize that lavender is an adaptogen which means it adapts to what the body is most in need of and then supplies it.

Lavender can also be used to soothe minor burns, moisturize dry or chapped skin, repel moths and insects, deodorize laundry, and can be used to calm you for better sleep.

Pat has been married to the same man for over 51 years, is the mother of 3 adult children, and grandma to 8 grandchildren. Growing up in the country gave her a head start to living a healthy lifestyle. This grandma became interested in nutrition as a mother and for the past 27 plus years she has specialized in teaching others the importance of good nutrition. Challenges along the road have been many; her father overcoming congestive heart failure with nutrition, her husband's battle with GERD and avoiding a major heart attack, her daughter's battle with a brain tumor, her grandson beating Hodgkin's Lymphoma, her mother's stage 4 lung cancer, her mom-n-law's dementia, and others. Her goal is to share with others the things she has learned and is still learning about having the BEST REAL HEALTH possible.

Pat, this is a wonderful article about healthy choices and great suggestions in taking action of our bodies and what nutrients we place into them. The bottom line I share with people is each of us has to figure out what is best for us, by listening to our bodies and doing the research to find the perfect diet and exercise that resonates with our soul.

Barbara, you are so right. We are each one responsible for our choices and either need to find someone we trust to guide us or do the research ourselves in order to make the best choices for our health. My goal is to help people make the best choices for their individual situation. Thanks for your encouraging comment.

Meryl, every time I see your name, I think of Hershey’s chocolate.. I’m sure no one else has ever told you that;-) I’m so happy you took time to read my post and comment on it. Hopefully some of the health tips will be beneficial to you at some time.

Fantastic article and I have a story to share too. This statin stuff should be outlawed. My partner started up on Simvastin about 5 years ago. Recently she's been to a chiropractor to get relief from constant back pain. He asked her what meds she was on and then shared some info on statins similar to yours. We did more research and found that chronic back pain is a common complaint of people who take statins. She stopped and the backache is gone.
I love the pic of your husband with the tree. I wish you both good health.

Kater, thanks for sharing your story. It is so sad that the drug companies actually pay medical groups and insurance companies to prescribe statin drugs to anyone whose LDL is over 100, even to children. It is ridiculous! Good for the chiropractor in advising your partner about the side effects of the Simvastin. The picture of my husband was taken last year when he cut down a huge dead tree that was on our property. It was a huge job which he did all by himself. He still cuts and splits firewood for our wood stove in the winter time.

Fantastic article and I have a story to share too. This statin stuff should be outlawed. My partner started up on Simvastin about 5 years ago. Recently she's been to a chiropractor to get relief from constant back pain. He asked her what meds she was on and then shared some info on statins similar to yours. We did more research and found that chronic back pain is a common complaint of people who take statins. She stopped and the backache is gone.
I love the pic of your husband with the tree. I wish you both good health.

I'm so sorry to hear about your husband's heart issues. You are very wise to avoid taking the drugs the medical community pushes so hard for. There are times when modern science's drugs may be necessary for a period, but certainly not long term. There are studies published on http://www.pubmed.gov that show links between oxidative stress and our heart health. Possibly if you can help him eliminate it his heart will heal, regenerate the dead tissue and help it perform like he was twenty-something again.

Carla, thanks for your tip on oxidative stress. Actually he does take supplements to address oxidative stress. It is amazing how active he still is but just knowing his heart is not all functioning top notch is stressful. We are currently seeking to find out more about just what is really going on so our story will continue. Thanks for stopping by.

Cathy, good for your husband in seeking out a more natural healing process rather than staying on statins. They are so.. over prescribed. Yes, many need to be more informed.. there would not be such a health crisis if people would stay informed.

Norma, yes, you do have to wonder about those statin drugs. Everyone’s situation is different and that does have to be taken into consideration instead of just following big drug companies advice of putting everyone on them if their LDL is above 100. We, the people must be informed and be responsible in decisions regarding our health. I consider a doctor a consultant not a dictator. Thanks for reading and committing.

Thanks so much for putting together all of these alternative and healthy options. I totally agree with you about working to avoid drugs. Sometimes we do need to take drugs for a short time (like taking morphine when I broke my arm) but then address the underlying issue so that health can be regained.

Moira, thanks for reading and commenting on my article. I know you are very informed about staying healthy so I am privileged to have you visit. Yes, there is a time and place for most all prescription drugs but for the most part, people allow themselves to do whatever the doctor suggests without informing themselves about long-term side effects. Once people start a drug it is usually very difficult to get a doctor to help you get off it.

Martha, thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my article. Learning about being healthy and fit thru good nutrition and lifestyle is an never ending process.. we have to make the effort to stay informed for the sake of our own health.

Sherie, I believe you would have to drag me kicking and screaming for me to agree to have open heart surgery after witnessing the recovery process. Unfortunately we may have to face that again for my husband. We are sure praying that is not going to be the recommendation after he has the heart catheriezation that we are in the process of scheduling right now. Stress has been a huge factor in my husband’s heart issues. Stay tuned for more info.

Helena, I am glad you stood up for your ground on the statins rather than being spoon fed by your doctor. Just this morning my husband and I were discussing the use of statins and how the drug companies are actually bribing the insurance companies and doctors to prescribe statins to everyone whose LDL is above 100 even to children. It is just outrageous. The gluten in wheat can cause many health issues especially when consumed in large amounts consistently so I applaud you in giving it up. We basically eat very few grain products and when we do, they are in moderation. Although we do take our grain oil capsule (has no gluten) so our cells will be healthy and be able to take on nutrients and eliminate the toxins.. it is one of the best immune system boosters that is available.

Anita, I am so sorry you lost your Dad recently. Treasure the memories of him in your heart and mind.. they will give you comfort and pleasure in the years to come. There is a time and place for the use of drugs but we need to be informed so as to make a wise decision when we are faced with a suggestion that we may need one.

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